Do you have a business and the only time you reach out to legal counsel is when you have an actual legal problem? If so, you are probably a total dumb ass and you don’t actually understand how attorneys should be used. But don’t let this post change your behavior because your attorney is likely very grateful for your dumb ass behavior since it likely costs double or more to fix the problem once it has materialized than to prevent the problem in the first place. Especially if you’re sued, that will cost you many many times more, and possibly your entire business.
A total dumb ass is an individual who does not appreciate or comprehend what lawyers do. A dumb ass doesn’t understand that successful small to large businesses have attorneys, either in-house or outside, on call to address legal matters proactively and prevent various disputes which could end up killing the bottom line for pretty much any size business. Successful businesses know very well that attorneys are well worth the expenditure, particularly since its tax deductible, because competent counsel will save and make a company money. A dumb ass thinks an attorney is just an unnecessary cost that provides no real value to the business and should be avoided, since the dumb ass is more than capable of handling all legal issues him/her self. There’s nothing special to law practice, he/she believes, I can do it just as well with zero training or experience.
A total dumb ass is unlikely to be successful in the long run, because sharks smell the dumb assness of the dumb ass, that he/she is cheap and incompetent, and will not pay a small amount to have an agreement drafted or reviewed by counsel before signature. Sharks will try to intimidate such dumb ass into paying damages using their own shark counsel knowing that the total dumb ass is a prey who doesn’t know what he/she is doing and will fold because he is too much of a dumb ass to obtain professional assistance. There are always sharks in every business, and it is only a matter of time before one or more target a business that does not have competent legal assistance.
Competent counsel provides a blanket of security to a business, that is why corporations have a Chief Legal Counsel, it is an indispensable position, a bulwark from external malice. Outside parties are put on notice that an attorney will address any legal matter based on the law and facts, and will not be intimidated by frivolous demands or claims or aggressive behavior. The business owner can sleep better knowing that an attorney has reviewed and approved all contracts as being in the best interests of the business, and will handle any disputes in a manner that does not expose the business to unnecessary risk.
A total dumb ass is an ultra-total dumb ass when he/she won’t even retain counsel after the legal problem has materialized because he/she is too cheap or too ignorant to obtain professional advice from persons who handle such disputes on a regular basis. Such people will usually have one or more judgments against their company or prior companies and its only a matter of time when a personal judgment will be entered against him/her after he/she fails to answer a law suit and collectors will pursue his/her personal property/assets.
The lesson here is simple, and people will still never learn, don’t wait until you get that demand from opposing counsel; don’t wait until the former employee makes a complaint with the state agency against you, don’t wait until the other party demands the outstanding amount owed under a contract because you improperly terminated it or you failed to abide by its terms… But if you do wait and don’t obtain professional competent legal help, that’s alright also, because you will end up spending far more and the legal profession is a business after all. One final suggestion: don’t ask for discounts… Lawyers are not UNICEF or a bazaar, if you don’t go to Walmart or Publix asking for price breaks, well, don’t denigrate yourself with lawyers, they are providing a much more valuable service to you than selling you Chinese crap. Thanks for reading friend and good luck.
